


The Gentleman's Guide to Camping

by crocodilepatronus



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Gen, mild thommy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-21
Updated: 2013-06-21
Packaged: 2017-12-15 16:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/851400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crocodilepatronus/pseuds/crocodilepatronus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas and Jimmy go camping</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gentleman's Guide to Camping

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Are](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Are/gifts).



> this fic is for are-are-kay who spent her birthday camping! And whose fic "In Significance" has nature loving bird watching Jimmy. More author's notes at the bottom.

Jimmy liked the outdoors. He felt like it was one place where he could empty his mind of the usual chaos of his thoughts.  It was one of his well kept secrets that he spent many a day off taking long walks in the woods. There was something very peaceful about being alone in nature with nothing but the breeze and the sounds of birds chirping as your accompaniment. Now Jimmy was taking another walk in the woods. But it was hardly peaceful.

“Jimmy- have a look at this bug!” Alfred’s loud, obnoxious voice called out, scaring away a woodpecker that Jimmy had been looking at. And for once when he was out he wanted nothing more than to just be back at Downton.

Everything had turned to shite only a few days ago. It was summer but not a particularly hot one- the weather was perfect. The family was away in London. Mrs.Hughes had forced Carson into submission on giving the staff more freetime.

And Jimmy had plans.

He’d been very excited. He’d never gone camping on his own before. But he’d always dreamt of it. Jimmy appreciated the comforts of a roof over his head and the convenience of electricity but something about sleeping under the stars with not another human around for miles appealed to his adventurous side that was so often repressed in his daily work life.

He’d asked Carson if he could take two days off to get away from Downton. Carson had of course given him a very stern look and spent atleast 15 minutes lecturing him about the importance of dedication to one’s career before giving him permission.

Things had gone pear shaped very quickly though.

Jimmy had had to go into town to buy a tent and a few other things required to brave the wildnerness but when he’d come back he’d realized there was no way to sucessfully hide them all in the tiny room he shared with Alfred. He’d put the tent in the closet but the sleeping bag and backpack were visible underneath his bed. Alfred had spotted them immediately and asked about them that night. Jimmy hated to give up more personal information than was strictly necessary especially to Alfred who couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. He also didn’t want to say it was a secret because in a way it wasn’t and Jimmy also didn’t want to come off as being overdramatic. So he’d told him straight that he was planning to go camping on his day off.

His trust in the ginger idiot had proved to be ill placed the very next morning when Anna had asked him over breakfast what he was planning to do with his day off.

He’d opened his mouth to politely explain how it was none of her business when Alfred chirped next to him: “He’s going out camping! Aren’t you, Jimmy?”

He’d shot him the fiercest glare he could muster but the effect had been lost on the fellow footman.

“….camping…?” Carson asked from the end of the table as if he’d never encountered the word, his prodigious brows furrowed together.

Jimmy saw Thomas look up with interest from his newspaper.

“Is that safe? To go alone?” Ivy asked from behind him, suddenly hovering with a plate of toast.

“Of course it’s safe.” Jimmy said tightly, fighting to keep his composure and not bite her head off.

“You won’t get mauled by a bear?” one of the hallboys at the end of the table asked, sounding like the prospect of it excited him more than worried him.

“Don’t be stupid.” Jimmy snapped, earning him a reproachful look from Mrs.Hughes.

“If it isn’t safe then I’ll go with you.” Alfred cheerfully announced.

Jimmy’s jaw dropped.

“That’s very generous of you, Alfred. I think we’d all be more at ease to know Mr.Kent was in your capable hands.” Mrs.Hughes said, eyes twinkling at Jimmy. The bloody woman was punishing him for being rude and he gaped at the unfairness of it. Surely no sin in his entire life could be bad enough that the punishment was spending a day in the woods with Alfred Nugent.

He was about to speak out when Thomas said “Can I come along as well then?”

Silence fell over the table. Bates raised his eyebrows and then took a loud bite of toast.

Jimmy was about to yell at the top of his lungs ‘Of course not! And Alfred can’t come either! Nobody is going with me!’ but Alfred lost his speechlessness faster than him.

“Of course! More the merrier!”

“Since when are you in charge, Alfred?! This isn’t a bloody party!” Jimmy sputtered desperately.

Carson at the end of the table drawled “Language, Mr.Kent” calmly. They were all so calm! When his plans for an idyllic day off were being ruined before his very eyes.

He’d fumed for the rest of breakfast and ‘accidentally’ kicked Alfred in the shins under the table hard enough to make him choke on his porridge which was almost satisfying enough to put him in better spirits. After the meal Thomas had approached him in the hallway alone.

“Ah- Jimmy. I just want to say thank you.” he said. He had that look on his face again like he was trying very hard not to look like a besotted puppy but ultimately failing dismally.

“What for?” Jimmy asked, genuinely confused and too pre-occupied with his own irritation to be polite.

“For letting me come along with you and Alfred.”

Jimmy shrugged his shoulders non-committally. He was about to tell him that he didn’t actually want either of them coming with him and that if he had to take a chaperone he wouldn’t go at all. But then Thomas smiled almost shyly.

“Never been camping before. Grew up in the city, me.” the under butler said it with a note of pride, “But I like being out in the sun.”

Jimmy took in Thomas who was as pale as a vampire and raised his brow skeptically.

“Don’t get much opportunity for it in this job of course.” the under butler added quickly.

“Didn’t think you the type to care about the great outdoors.” Jimmy muttered.

“Sort of an adventure, though, isn’t it?” Thomas smiled and Jimmy couldn’t help but smile back.

“Well if nothing else it might provide a good opportunity to push Alfred in a ditch and say it was an accident.” Jimmy said.

When they’d both stopped laughing Thomas looked uncertainly from the floor back to Jimmy and spoke in a voice just above a whisper.

“But… truly… I appreciate it, Jimmy. It means a lot to me.”

And for some reason Jimmy couldn’t bring himself to cancel his plans after that. Even when Alfred had announced that two of the hallboys were tagging along with them as well.   

But now walking in the woods outside of Downton to the place he’d scoped out beforehand but with Alfred blathering on loudly the entire time next to him he was sorely regretting not calling it all off. He was well and truly **_not_** a happy camper.

The hallboys- Peter and Henry had eagerly run ahead of them and he could see their figures about two dozen yards infront of them. Thomas was strolling along several yards behind him at a leisurely pace, smoking ( _he may like the sun but he doesn’t look like he cares about fresh air_ Jimmy thought).

Jimmy had been ignoring everything Alfred had said until he heard Thomas’s name and then he looked up.

“What?”

Alfred blinked. “I just said I’m glad Mr.Barrow’s come with us.”

“Why?” Jimmy asked suspiciously. Alfred shrugged, a picture of innocence.

“What? I thought the two of you were friends now. After he got beat up at that fair you were getting along alright.”

Jimmy frowned deeply.

“As long as he doesn’t try and sneak into my tent in the night I don’t care.” he said, a little surprised at his own spite.

Alfred widened his eyes at him in shock and jerked his head as subtley as his stupidity would allow behind them. Jimmy looked over his shoulder briefly to see Thomas was only a few feet behind them now and he felt his own cheeks go red. The under butler certainly didn’t look like he’d heard anything. All the same he felt suddenly sorry.

It was true that he was grateful to Thomas, had been willing to speak to him lately. But it hadn’t been very long since he’d agreed to be his friend at all and they were in no way close mates. What was more important was that he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone (particularly Alfred) to know they were mates at all. It sometimes worried him how he could talk to Thomas when it was just the two of them at night, sometimes play a game of cards, and how he’d find himself relaxing in front of the other man. Laughing with him and talking easily about himself. He had a feeling he liked Thomas’s company a little **too** much than was proper and it made him slightly uncomfortable.

They soon arrived at a natural clearing in the wood, surrounded by tall evergreen trees and a floor of sparse, bright green grass.   
“Is this the place, Mr.Kent?” Peter the hallboy asked eagerly to which Jimmy nodded. He leaned back to look up at the treetops, temporarily drowning out the sound of the others’ chatter as he watched the clouds pass lazily overhead and birds lighting between the branches.

They set up their tents first. Alfred, Jimmy, and Thomas, each had their own and the hallboys were to share one. The boys took to unpacking with great gusto, throwing the canvas over eachother like capes and joking around. Alfred and Jimmy both found a flat place to put up but Jimmy noticed Thomas just watching them with his bag. When Jimmy started putting his stakes in the ground Thomas went to the side of the clearing farthest away from Jimmy’s tent and began to unpack his things.

 _So he **did** hear_ …

Putting up the tents was hard work when the sun was beating down fiercely and soon they’d all shed their jackets and vests and were down to braces and shirts (Alfred had even taken down his braces and rolled up his sleeves- Jimmy imagined it was exercise just to bend down so often when you were that height). Jimmy felt an unexplainable shiver of delight up his spine to see that Thomas’s hair had fallen out of it’s place and was in his eyes again as it had been during the tug of war in Thirsk a few months ago. And he had a cigarette tucked behind his ear. Jimmy tried not to steal glances. When he did he noticed that Thomas was consulting a small pamphlet as he set up his tent, studying it closely every few seconds before looking back to his work, then continuing.

 _City boy_ , Jimmy thought, shaking his head. The two footmen finished fairly quickly but the hallboys were hopeless as they kept using the tent poles to sword fight and pushing eachother into it so that the canvas collapsed around them. Alfred finally had to go help them (though being of only a slightly higher maturity level than them he’d soon become caught up in their games and wasn’t very helpful at all). 

Jimmy attempted to be casual as he strolled over to Thomas who was also nearly done but squinting at his little book with such intensity that he looked up in surprise when Jimmy spoke.

“Need any help?”

Thomas smiled brightly, “No- thank you.”

He seemed genuinely not angry at Jimmy but his choice in being on the opposite end of the campsite from him had clearly been a conscious one. He watched the older man bend down to lay a small tarp down on the inside of the tent. When he did so his pants tightened around his arse and Jimmy could see the curve of it clearly. He unconsciously tilted his head to the side to get a better view before realizing what he was doing and immediately looking away, shocked and embarassed at himself.

“I think it looks nice.” Thomas said.

“Yes, very.” Jimmy responded automatically, then blushing darkly when he realized Thomas was talking about the tent. “What’s this then?” Jimmy asked in a slight fluster, pointing at the little book Thomas was still holding.

“Oh…” Thomas looked embarassed as he held it up for him. It was a thin pamphlet that said **The Gentleman’s Guide To Camping** on it and underneath in smaller text **_FOR BEGINNERS_**. Jimmy tried to supress a smile.

“Hey- don’t laugh. This could be very helpful. It shows you which berries are poisonous- so we’ll know that those are the ones to put in Alfred’s tea.” Thomas said seriously.

Jimmy did laugh. “Are we really going to have _tea time_ out _here_ \- so far away from society and all it’s bounds?” Jimmy gestured around him with his arm dramatically.

“Course we are. If we don’t then Mr.Carson back at Downton will have a heart attack and he won’t even know why. Tea time is what sets us apart from the untamed beasts of the wild.”

“You mean like squirrels and such.”

“That’s exactly what I mean. Abandon tea and all sense of propriety will go out the window in no time- mark my words. It’ll be like **Lord Of The Flies**.”

Jimmy began to giggle and Thomas tried to keep a straight face but broke into a grin as well.

He looked happy. Happy to be with Jimmy. But if that was the case…

“Listen, Thomas…” Jimmy started but Alfred interrupted from across the clearing.

“Hey! You two! Come over here!”

Thomas walked ahead of him to the center, where they all re-convened. Peter and Henry looked out of breath from play fighting.

“We need to build a campfire.” Alfred said.

“Yes. For tea.” Jimmy said, stifling a snigger, “Which is very important.”

Alfred gave him a perplexed glance but went on, “So we should find some stones to put around it and some logs to start it with.”

“I can light it.” Thomas said helpfully, holding up his zippo lighter. For some reason the mental image of Thomas in the wilderness in his three piece suit and his little pamphlet, lighting a campfire with the end of his cigarette so he could make a cup of earl grey sent Jimmy into renewed fits of hysterics. 

“Right.” Alfred said slowly, regarding Jimmy as if he was the village’s missing idiot.

They split up to look but Jimmy ended up going in Thomas’s direction. They walked deeper into the woods away from the clearing where the the ground sloped and was littered with more small rocks and fallen tree branches than you could ever hope for for building a campfire. They walked in silence for a few minutes with Jimmy struggling to make himself speak up but then they came upon a wooden shed.

“Oh.” Thomas said softly.

“Oh?”

“S’nothing. Just… I did something stupid here one night a while ago.” Thomas laughed, looking a bit embarassed.

Jimmy frowned and fixed him with a dissaproving look.

“… You did something stupid… in this shed in the middle of the woods… at night?”

Thomas’s eyes widened. “Not like that! It was with Isis.”

Jimmy’s frown deepened.

“No! I mean… I stole Isis.”

Jimmy laughed out loud, “What?”

“Well, I kidnapped her,” Thomas explained, picking up some sticks on the ground, “Because I wanted his lordship to trust me.”

“So you stole his dog? How clever of you.”

“Well the plan was that I would hide her away in this shack, right? And then when his lordship was panicking over it I’d go and bring her back and pretend I’d found her. Then he’d think highly of me.”

Jimmy shook his head incredulously, “That’s one of the worst plans I’ve ever heard of…. Did it work?”

Thomas looked up and smirked. “Not the way I’d hoped. But I did end up his lordship’s valet while Bates was away so in a way it did.”

“Unbelievable.” Jimmy smiled, shaking his head at him.

He walked a few steps ahead of Jimmy, picking up a rock and examining it before putting it in his pocket.

The footman felt guilty. He did like Thomas. _How much?_ a small voice in his head seemed to whisper automatically. He pushed the thought away.

“Thomas…” Jimmy started, making the man look back up at him. “I’m sorry.”

Thomas quirked an eyebrow at him, smiling, “For what?”

Jimmy swallowed. “For what I said earlier. To Alfred. When we were walking over.”

Thomas turned away from him. “Don’t know what you mean.”

Jimmy frowned at his back. “Don’t pretend that you didn’t hear. Otherwise why would you pitch your tent so far from mine?”

Thomas turned to Jimmy and shrugged his shoulders once. “I pretended to not hear because I didn’t want you to feel awkward about it. And that’s why I set up camp away from you too.” he frowned. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, Jimmy.”

“Oh.” Jimmy said and he couldn’t help that the first thing he felt was relief. It hadn’t occurred to him that Thomas had done it out of consideration- he’d assumed it was because Thomas was angry at him and didn’t want to be near him.

Thomas had turned his back to him again, this time walking back towards the campsite.

“You don’t make me uncomfortable.” Jimmy said.

The under butler froze in his tracks.

 _If anything I’m **too** comfortable around you_ Jimmy thought to himself.

“And what I said was horrid. I know you wouldn’t do that again. So I am sorry.”

Thomas looked back at him, lips quirking up slightly.

“I forgive you.”

They walked back to the clearing arms laden with rocks and sticks to find an already impressive little pyre. They put the excess to one side so they could add firewood as they went when it became dark out.

Jimmy led them to a small pond he’d found earlier where they had the picnic lunch Mrs.Patmore had packed for them. He felt himself starting to enjoy himself almost to his own chagrin.

Henry had brought a fishing pole which he, Alfred, and Peter all took turns with to no avail in the pond. Thomas sprawled out on the grass, blowing smoke rings into the air but he looked content.

Jimmy was walking around the lake, watching the birds in the trees.

“What are you searching for, Jimmy?” Alfred asked, now knee-deep in the pond with his pants legs rolled up.

“I want to see a Thommy Lark.” he said squinting at some brightly colored birds on the other side of the pond.

“What a lark!” Alfred said, laughing stupidly at his joke. Jimmy rolled his eyes and ignored him.

“Thommy?” Thomas asked with curiosity.

“Yes.” Jimmy explained, “They’re rare but I’ve seen one in a book. They’ve got black and gold feathers. Their mating call is supposed to be extremely beautiful…”

He’d been on the lookout for one ever since he’d read about them a few weeks before.

“I’ll probably never see one…” he sighed.

After several hours the light began to fade so they packed up and walked back to the clearing. They hadn’t caught any fish. Peter had caught a bullfrog that he’d named Mr.Carson and none of them could deny that the stern looking little creature did bear a resemblence to the butler.

The sky above them turned a lovely dark shade of violet as they walked and then turned black save for a full moon and many bright shining stars. Halfway back to the campsite they found a bush alight with hundreds of twinkling lightning bugs.

Jimmy heard Henry gasp audibly and even Peter seemed to be in reverent silence for perhaps the first time in his life.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Alfred said breathlessly.

“Looks like a hundred cigarette ends lighting up at once.” Thomas replied but he was gazing on in as much wonder as the rest of them.

They finally tore themselves away and continued back to their clearing.

Thomas kept his word and lit up their small bonfire with his zippo lighter. It caught easily and soon they were unwrapping the dinner Mrs.Patmore had packed. Alfred let out a whoop of delight to find that the cook had snuck in a flask of whiskey in their picnic basket as well.

They each took a slug from it and even let Peter and Henry have a taste. Peter tried to take a big gulp but a large amount of it dribbled down the front of his shirt instead. Henry had taken a tentative sip and winced at the flavor.

They used some logs Alfred had found earlier as seats placed in a circle about the fire.

Jimmy leaned back after they’d all eaten and let his head tilt back enough that all that was in his line of vision was the night sky. Space seemed so vast it humbled him to look at it. They all seemed to be in silent awe of it and for atleast a few minutes Jimmy felt acutely the peaceful feeling he’d hoped his day off would have, gazing at the twinkling stars and hearing nothing but Mr.Carson croaking on Henry’s knee.  His mind emptied of his own thoughts and refilled with only stunned admiration for all nature could be.

Of course it was Alfred who was the first to speak.

“So… anyone know any good campfire songs? I think I should sing-“ he began to which everyone else sitting in the circle yelled “NO” with varying levels of vehemence.

Alfred shook his head, “No accounting for taste.” he sniffed.

“We should tell ghost stories.”

Everyone looked up at Thomas who was leaning forward with his feet spread and his elbows resting against his knees. With the flames casting shadows on his face and smoke curling from between his lips he did look the part to tell a blood curdling tale.

“Alright! You have one, Mr.Barrow? Let’s have it!” Alfred exclaimed eagerly, rubbing his hands together.

Thomas took a drag of his cigarette, thinking for a moment before he began to speak slowly.

“This story is about a gentleman named…” he paused, frowned and finished “….Philip.”

He tapped his cigarette, pausing again to think before going on.

“And he was moving into a house with his-uh- wife… Irene. They were newly married. Irene in many ways was a perfect woman- good looking… and smart… and always doing whatever he wanted.” he said with a little bitterness, “and for a while they were happy together, the two of them. But Philip was a greedy man and when a wealthy family moved into a house next to theirs, he set his sights on their beautiful heiress- Maryann. Y’see, Philip had fallen into some debt and while Irene would’ve stayed with him no matter how rough things got for the two of them, Philip wanted to be rich and he didn’t really care about Irene in the end.”

He sounded a little wistful but kept talking.

“He knew he couldn’t get married to the heiress Maryann as long as he was with Irene. So he began to plot how he could be rid of her. One dark and stormy night, they went for a walk together and Philip pushed Irene off the side of the cliff and into the bay below. No one heard her screams over the sounds of the wind and rain and no one suspected her husband when he ran for help, disraught and shouting that his wife had slipped and fallen over the edge.

They found Irene’s corpse in the rocks of the shore. Her black hair tangled in the seaweed. Her head had been smashed in by the fall and her brains were splattered. Her face was crushed and her teeth all broken.

The following days Philip pretended to be in grief and everyone believed him but inside he was nothing but pleased at his victory. One night, though, when he’d fallen asleep, the door to his bedroom slowly creaked open spilling moonlight into the room, waking him up. In the doorway was the shadow of a freakish figure- limbs bent and contorted unnaturally. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes he realized in horror that standing before him was his dead wife- Irene.”

Thomas leaned forward more, the flames reflecting off his face and the shadows under his already prominent cheekbones darkening making him look sinister. He went on in a quieter voice for it seemed all the sounds of the woods had silenced in respect for his storytelling and certainly all of them sitting around the campfire were barely breathing.

“Her hair was wet and falling in her eyes but as she turned her head he could see chunks of her flesh missing from her face where only blood and shredded tissues remained. Philip cried out in fear ‘what do you want from me?’ She dropped her jaw, her mouth opening to reveal her broken teeth and croaked out one word…”

Thomas’s eyes drifted slowly between the faces of those sitting around the campfire and said softly…

“ ‘ _Vengeance._ ’… And her body slowly faded to nothing a if she’d never been there at all.”

The under butler leaned back a bit, taking another quick puff of his cigarette.

“The next day Philip was shaken and couldn’t be in his own house without feeling dread. He went next door to the home of Maryann’s family and asked if he could stay with them. Mistaking his fear for grief, they took pity on him and told him he could be their guest as long as he wanted.

Irene did not visit him again while he was there and he slept peacefully. He continued to pursue Maryann and after several months had passed since Irene’s death, he proposed to her. Convinced that what he’d seen before had been a nightmare, he decided that he and Maryann would move into his house. He took her to visit and give her a tour one day.

While she was pre-occupied looking at his china collection in the dining room, Philip walked out into the garden. He saw standing amongst the flowers, Irene. But she was not how he’d seen her last. She was as she’d been in life- unmarred and beautiful in a white dress with her hair pulled up neatly. She came to him, smiling gently and took his face in her hands. She kissed him on the mouth as he stood paralyzed with shock. When she pulled her lips from his she whispered in his ear ‘vengeance’. Then Irene turned and walked away and around the side of the house, dissapearing from his sight.

He was stunned but when he turned round he saw Maryann standing behind him and she’d seen nothing but him kissing another woman. No story he could tell could make her forget or forgive that and their engagement was called off. In even direr financial circumstances than he’d been before and with no place else to stay, he sat in his study night after night drinking heavily. And every night when it got dark the wind would start to blow inside the house despite how he locked all the doors and barred every window. It shook the furniture and the paintings on the walls and a voice could be heard carried on the gale shrieking ‘vengeance! vengeance!’. Even when the wind wound die down there was always a whisper through the hallways and in his head even when he left- on the breeze, in the rustle of the trees… ‘Vengeance.’

He couldn’t sleep nor eat and his life was miserable. One day he walked to the cliff where  she’d died, unsure of what else to do. All the while when he walked he heard footsteps behind him but every time he turned there was nowt there but his shadow. When he approached the cliff and looked out at the bay hopelessly, he heard footsteps again and he turned a final time. Irene was standing there and like before she was beautiful and looked so alive that he took a step toward her.

‘Vengeance’ she whispered and before his eyes her body began to twist and her head began to cave in on itself, brains and blood spilling down her dress and one eyeball rolling out of it’s socket. But now her skin too began to melt and turn brown and he watched in horror as her broken teeth turned yellow and worms and maggots crawled from her hair.

‘Vengeance’ she said again reaching out her bony arms out to him and limping forward ‘vengeance!’ And Philip stumbled backwards in fear to escape her and slipped. He fell over the edge of the cliff… plummeting to his death in the bay below...”

The only noise was the slight crackling of the campfire which was starting to burn out.

Then Alfred whistled and grinned, “I’ve got gooseflesh on me arms, Mr.Barrow!” he said sounding thrilled about it.

Thomas bowed his head once and pulled out another cigarette.

“That was fantastic! I won’t sleep a wink!” Peter added, also sounding extremely cheerful.

“I will.” Alfred said, yawning, “Looks like Henry’s already nodded off.”

They looked at Henry who was unconscious and leaning against Peter’s shoulder.

“Nah- I think he fainted when Mr.Barrow started talking about the lady’s brains comin’ out actually.” Peter said.

Alfred shook his head, laughing, and helped Peter nudge Henry awake and carry him to their tent.

But Jimmy sat perfectly in place, eyes wide and staring at nothing.

 _Vengeance_ he thought and felt an icy shiver up his spine, seeing in his mind’s eye a gorey woman with an eyeball hanging out of it’s socket.

“You alright, Jimmy…?” Thomas asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Uh… yeah. Just tired.” Jimmy said, smiling and standing up, “Goodnight, Mr.Barrow.”

Thomas smiled briefly nodding at him before walking back to his tent. Jimmy spent another few moments staring at the dying fire before walking back to his own.

He undressed and got into the night clothes he’d brought. As he did so every time a bit of the fabric would brush him the wrong way he could swear it felt just like a woman’s fingertips- dragging along his back or on his neck. It sent icy cold jitters coursing through his body and he swung his head around in surprise several time but of course there was no one there.

 _Right_ … he thought, lying down and pulling his blanket up to his chin. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts. In the distance a fox shrieked and he could swear it had said vengeance. His eyes flew open again. He was met only with silence and the darkness of the inside of his tent. He squeezed his eyes shut once more.

For a good half hour he tossed and turned, unable to push away images of bloodied faces and clawing, bony hands.

A soft breeze blew. The canvas of the tent rustled and the flap opened slightly, allowing a shaft of moonlight in- Jimmy could tell because of the change of light behind his eyelids. The first time the ghost had visited Philip his door had opened on it’s own and the moonlight had come. He heard Thomas’s voice solemn and menacing in his head _‘In the doorway was the shadow of a freakish figure- limbs bent and contorted unnaturally.’_

Jimmy shuddered.

_Well, that’s fine. I know better than Philip. If I just don’t open my eyes she’ll go away._

He lay for another few minutes but couldn’t shake the feeling that right then there was a figure looming at the entrance of his tent, watching him. He had to know… He opened his eyes. No one.

_Of course there isn’t._

He laughed once to himself out of relief. _You silly beggar._

Two things happened at once- the fox from before screeched again and Jimmy felt a prickly sensation that he knew he wasn’t imagining on his neck. He leapt from the bed and onto his feet in an instant, hands rubbing protectively over his neck as he looked down at the floor of his tent. There was a large daddy long legs where his head had been. At this point he was beyond caring about a rational explanation though and with his heart beating wildly in his chest, fled from his tent.

The campfire had gone out completely but the clearing was partially illuminated by the moon and stars casting an ethereal blue glow on everything. To Jimmy, every tree (though especially the thin, white, birches) looked like it might be the figure of a specter. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins and without thinking much about it he began racing barefoot in his pajamas across the campsite.

When he got to his destination he threw open the flaps of the tent and dove down next to Thomas.

“Wha-?”

“This is your bloody fault!” Jimmy hissed- attempting to shout at Thomas without waking the others.

Thomas sat up and flicked his lighter on to see clearly. His hair was a mess- sticking up in odd directions (ah the glory of sleeping in a tent) and he was squinting, still half asleep.

“Jimmy…?” he asked blearily.

Jimmy rolled his eyes in frustration at Thomas’s slowness. The under butler seemed to come awake and his eyes snapped wide open.

“Jimmy!” he looked around wildly as if there might be witnesses within the tent. “Wh-what are you doing?!”

Jimmy seemed to also realize at the same moment where exactly he was and what he’d just done. He’d just snuck into Thomas’s tent in the night. _Well this isn’t ironic at all._ But it was too late to go back now.

“I’m sleeping with you tonight.” he whispered firmly.

Thomas leaned his head back, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline.

“ _Excuse_ me?!”

Jimmy groaned, shaking his head. “Not like that! Just- in your tent!”

Thomas still looked very skeptical and possibly concerned for Jimmy’s mental health.

“I.. I thought I heard something by my tent.” Jimmy stammered. Well that _was_ true.

“Like what?” Thomas asked, looking so genuinely concerned that Jimmy felt guilty that it was really his own stupidity that had scared him.

Thomas began to stand up. “We should go look. The boys and Alfred are over on your side too. With our luck we’ll probably get blamed if a bear gets them.”   
Jimmy shoved Thomas back down quickly.

“Uh- no.” he said, swallowing, “There’s no need for that.”

Thomas stared at him confusion for a few seconds then realization gradually seemed to dawn on him and he broke into a mischevious grin.

“It’s the ghost story, isn’t it?”

Jimmy said nothing, pursing his lips, and refused to look at Thomas whose face had taken on an expression of smug delight.

“I have you spooked and no mistake.”

Jimmy crossed his arms over his chest sullenly.

“Don’t be stupid. Wasn’t even scary. I’d already forgotten about that entirely.”

Thomas shook his head, looking like he very much doubted that. Then his face slowly changed and he looked awestruck, his eyes wide and staring at something behind Jimmy’s head . He raised a hand shakily, pointing.

Jimmy whipped around.

“What? What?!” his eyes wildly darted around but saw nothing out of the ordinary when he felt hot breath by his ear and a husky whisper “Vengeance!”

Jimmy gasped and swung his head back to see it was only Thomas who threw his head back, veritably cackling at his reaction. He scowled and punched Thomas in the arm.

“Christ, Jimmy, it was just a story. Wish you could’ve seen your face just now…” Thomas said, making a show of wiping the tears of laughter from the corner of his eyes.

Jimmy sighed, sitting down and resting his elbows on his knees. Thomas still had his legs stretched out next to Jimmy’s feet. He fished around until he found his cigarettes and his zippo. The blond regarded with great fascination Thomas bowing his head down, the end of his bangs falling nearly to his nose, and cupping his hand around the lighter, flicking it once and igniting the flame that temporarily illuminated his face. _He’s handsome_ Jimmy thought vaguely without attaching any meaning to the sentiment, watching his cheeks hollow and his red lips purse around the cigarette as he inhaled. And his blue eyes, looking up at him and blinking. _Very handsome._

“What?” Thomas asked and the footman realized he’d been staring.

“Um.” Jimmy swallowed, feeling his cheeks grow hot. But he was saved for something distracted Thomas and the under butler looked away, brows furrowed.

“You hear that?” he asked.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Oh please. If you think I’ll fall for that a second time-“

“No, I’m serious.” Thomas muttered, stamping out his cigarette and crawling towards the entrance of the tent. Jimmy felt an abrupt sense of panic swell up in his chest and he gripped the end of Thomas’s undershirt, holding him back.

“Don’t go out there! It’s not safe!”

Thomas chuckled, “I’m a big boy, Jimmy. I think I can take care of myself.”

“No, you clodhopper- I meant for me! You can’t just leave me here alone!”

Even Thomas seemed to look reproachful at the selfishness of that statement but Jimmy ignored him.

“What did you hear?” he asked.

“Well I thought I heard-“

They both fell silent as a loud scratching noise came from outside. They exchanged a nervous look.

“-that.” Thomas finished. He didn’t look quite so pleased with himself anymore and Jimmy saw his adam’s apple bob as he gulped and took a careful step away from the entrance of the tent, sitting back heavily next to Jimmy.

“Probably nothing.” he said his voice sounding higher than normal.

“Well if we hear Alfred screaming we’ll know something’s wrong.” Jimmy said in a tone that implied that this was the bright side of the situation. Thomas was about to laugh when there was a breeze and a rustling outside, closer this time. Jimmy unconsciously scooched closer to the under butler, tucking his own knees up to his chest.

Thomas laughed once. “Look at the pair of us, eh? There’s definitely nothing out ther-“

There was a loud thump and the tent shook. Jimmy leapt about a foot in the air in shock and landed in Thomas’s lap, wrapping his entire body around the other man’s torso in abject fear.

The tent filled with the sound of nails scratching against the canvas. Jimmy squeaked and he could hear Thomas’s breath coming out quickly and unevenly in his ear and his heart hammering against his chest which was pressed flush against the footman’s.

The noise stopped long enough for them both to see the position they’d found themselves in and jump back and away from eachother in shock.

Jimmy cleared his throat loudly, and looked away as if the framework of the tent was suddenly fascinating to him. Thomas turned red in the face and ran a hand through his hair.

The scratching had stopped but there was still a soft sound of weight being distrubited in steps around the edge of the tent.

Thomas took a deep breath.

“We have to go see what it is.” he said, shaking his head.

“What?! No! No, we don’t!” Jimmy protested.

“Right- you stay here then.”

“No way in hell! If you’re going then you’re taking me with you.”

“But I thought you were scared to go out.”

“Well I won’t be if you’re with me.” Jimmy blushed, hearing how his own words had come out and bit his lip.

“Alright.” Thomas said and crawled to the end of the tent. Jimmy’s heartbeat was going mad as the two of them exchanged a final look before Thomas pulled it back in one swift movement.

There was nothing to be seen from there and Jimmy felt consoled  that atleast it hadn’t been a mangled woman in a doorway like the story. The under butler led the way outside and Jimmy followed practically pressed against his back. They stepped gingerly around the tent until Thomas halted and Jimmy knocked into him.

“What is it?!” he whispered, leaning around the taller man.

On the ground in front of them was a large badger. It had a bit of wax paper that had been in Mrs.Patmore’s picnic basket caught on the claws of it’s hind leg. When it saw them it made a final set of scratches against the tent’s canvas- the exact noise they’d heard- before it fled to the side, the paper making a rustling on the ground.  

Thomas’s whole body seemed to relax and he breathed out a loud sigh of relief. Jimmy simply began giggling, covering his face with his hands.

“I could do with a smoke.” Thomas said, going back into the tent and returning a moment later with his lighter and pack of cigarettes.

“Can I have a drag off that?” Jimmy asked and Thomas looking a bit surprised handed the cigarette over to him, blowing smoke out the corner of his own lips.

Jimmy turned his head back up to the sky, inhaling deeply from Thomas’s cigarette as he did.

“You know anything about constellations, Thomas?” he asked while holding the smoke in his lungs and then blowing it out in a jet from between pursed lips. He handed the cigarette back to the under butler.

“Not really.” the other answered.

Jimmy didn’t know the names of any constellations but when he looked at the stars he did see pictures in them sometimes- same as kids did with clouds.

“That looks like it could be a dragon.” Jimmy said, pointing to a cluster of the bright pinpricks. He thought the largest one that he’d imagined as the dragon’s eye might’ve even been a planet.

“There’s a unicorn.” Thomas gestured to a spot on the other side of the sky and Jimmy smiled.

“Oh yeah- there’s the horn. I see it…”

They took turns smoking the cigarette down to it’s end in comfortable silence before Thomas stubbed it out on the ground and ducked back into his tent. Jimmy naturally followed him.

“Uh.” Thomas said, looking at him quizzically, “Goodnight, Jimmy.” He raised his eyebrows, eyes shifting towards the tent flap. Jimmy frowned.

“I’m still staying here! Badger or not!”

Thomas looked slightly uncomfortable. “Are you sure... that that’s alright?”

“I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t sure.” Jimmy sniffed, flopping down next to Thomas on the tent floor. “There’s no way in hell I’m walking all the way back to my tent in the dark when there’s haunted badgers on the loose and god knows what else. Not even sure how I managed it the first time over. I think pure adreneline would be the answer.”

The under butler gave him a long look and then lay down too… as far away from Jimmy as was physically possible in the confined quarters.

The blond wanted to sigh loudly but thought it might be insensitive. Really, the man didn’t have to bend over backwards just to try and make him at ease. He’d already told him only a few hours before that he didn’t make him uncomfortable.

Jimmy rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes but again sleep escaped him. This time for a different reason.

“….Thomas?”

“Yes, Jimmy?”

“I’m cold.”

“You should’ve thought of that when you ran over here without a blanket.”

Jimmy frowned and flipped over so he was facing Thomas’s back. He rolled his body twice more, closing the space between them and gave Thomas’s blanket a hard tug, pulling it halfway onto himself. Thomas flinched at the proximity but still didn’t turn over to face Jimmy. Jimmy smiled all the same, now warm, and closed his eyes, falling asleep easily this time.

The morning came with sunshine spilling between the cracks of the tent and the woods filling with renewed noise of life. Jimmy slowly blinked his eyes open, seeing the world blurry between his eyelashes. _I feel nice_ … Jimmy thought dimly, as reality came to him in pieces. He was looking at Thomas whose face was partially illuminated by a crack of light from the tent entrance. His red lips were parted slightly and his eyelashes dark against his cheek. In fact, his lips were only a mere inch away from Jimmy’s- he could just lean forward and… **_Wait._**

Jimmy squeezed his eyes shut and then snapped them open. Thomas’s face being that close wasn’t even the worst of his problems. Because their bodies were completely entangled in eachother under the blanket. Jimmy’s left leg was stuck between Thomas’s legs and his right ankle beneath Thomas’s with their feet rubbing together. His arm was under Thomas’s and Thomas’s arm was wrapped around Jimmy loosely- he could feel the prescence of the other man’s finger gently brushing his spine. And his entire torso was pressed completely against his.

Jimmy lay with his eyes as wide open in shock as they could go, internally screaming. Fresh panic swelled in his chest when Thomas started to wake up as well.

“Uh…” the older man said eloquently as he realized the position they were in.

Jimmy leapt back from him, shaking his limbs free and pulling the blanket with him as if it would protect his dignity.

“Sorry…” Thomas said, swallowing.

“What? No. That was… I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose.” Jimmy said stiffly, feeling his whole face going red. As a matter of fact he was pretty sure it was his own fault- that is, if he remembered the content of the previous night’s dreams correctly…

Thomas nodded.

“I’m… going to go for a smoke.”

“Right.”

Jimmy sat still, staring at the ground as Thomas found his cigarettes and crawled out of the tent but in a moment he heard in an insistent whisper “Jimmy! Jimmy come over here!”

Jimmy crawled over to where Thomas was at the tent entrance, peeking out the flap. He ducked his head around next to the other man and immediately saw what he was looking at.

Perched on the ground not 3 feet from their tent was a small bird. It was black and gold and it’s feathers shiny and luminous in the gentle morning sunlight. Jimmy’s breath caught in his throat.

“That’s… that’s it. That’s the Thommy lark.” he barely whispered.

The bird’s head swiveled around and when he saw them it opened it’s mouth and released a melodious trill. In awe Jimmy watched as a second bird nearly identical to the first swept down, lighting beside it briefly and returning it’s call before they both flew away and into the treetops of the clearing.

**Author's Note:**

> In addition to the inspirations mentioned in the beginning author's notes, the fic was also heavily inspired by this post: http://imagine-your-fav-character.tumblr.com/post/53156425865
> 
> Also, the story Thomas tells is a re-imagining of a famous campfire story called Vengeance so I can't take any credit for it. I was going to write something of my own but remembered this and thought it was perfect to transpose and that Thomas would likely tell a story about revenge.


End file.
